July 1997
Volume 3, Number 7

Publishing InformationAg Connection is published monthly for Central Missouri Region producers and is
supported by University Extension, the Commercial Agriculture program, the Missouri
Agricultural Experiment Station and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural
Resources, UM-Columbia. Editorial board: Maryann Redelfs, Managing Editor; Parman Green,
James Rogers, Mark Stewart, Melvin Brees, Don Day and Ron Alexander.

Woodland Protection through Livestock Exclusion  helps producers keep
livestock out of timber and woodland areas. Line fences are not eligible.

Planned Grazing Systems Practice  helps producers put a Management
Intensive Grazing system in place. There are several common-sense requirements to meet.
Maximum reimbursement is $45/acre up to 100 acres.

Alternative Watering Sources for Planned Grazing System  developing
watering systems, in cooperation with Missouri Department of Conservation, to help keep
livestock out of creeks and streams.

You may be aware of Soil and Water District (SWCD) cost-share practices such as
terraces, tile outlets, and waterways. The SWCD office in your county may also be a source
of cost-share/incentive payments for management practices to help you with your forage and
livestock production.

Pasture establishment, pasture improvement, watering systems and fencing (cross
fencing, riparian and woodland protection) are practices which livestock producers may
find useful. These practices are all incentive-based and come with some constraints. They
are worth looking into.

Contact your local SWCD office for complete details on the soil conservation practices
listed at right. Each local SWCD board sets its own docket of practices. Therefore, all
the practices listed may not be available in your county.

Stress Categories

Alert (THI of 75-78)
A forecast of temperature and humidity conditions in this range at time of handling,
loading, or before animals reach their destination calls for an alert.
Additional precautions may be needed to
avoid excessive losses or to prepare for higher THI.

Danger (THI of 79-83)
Temperature and humidity readings in this range are not only dangerous to confined
livestock but there is a need to adopt additional measures to avoid severe losses.

Emergency (THI of 84 and higher)
A severe situation has developed. Consider changing livestock handling and shipping plans.
If plans cannot be changed, at least these four suggestions should be followed:

Keep all handling stress at a minimum.

Keep animals in position for free circulation of air.

Provide shade if at all possible.

Make water readily available for drinking.

Managing Heat Stress in Dairy Cattle

Summer heat stress causes many problems in the dairy cow. Heat stress reduces feed
intake, decreases milk production 20 to 30 percent, and drops butterfat content along with
total milk solids significantly. It also reduces cow activity during estrus, making heat
detection more difficult.

This stress can be estimated using the heat index developed for humans
by the Weather Bureau, also known as the temperature-humidity index (THI),
Livestock Heat Index, or the humidity-temperature index (HTI).

A dairy cow begins to show heat stress when the THI is above 72 (approximately 75 F,
60% humidity). With heat stress, cow body temperature can elevate to 106 F and respiration
rates increase to 120 per minute (normal temperature is 101-102 F and normal respiration
rates range from 30 to 60 per minute). At this point the cows body is more concerned
with survival than producing 80 pounds of milk!

Water

Daily water consumption can increase from 15 to 40 gallons per cow. Dairy cows require
approximately 3 to 4 pounds of water for each pound of milk produced. Factors limiting
water intake include a high salt content, high iron or sulphur, and stagnation. Some blue
green algae are even toxic.

Management practices that improve water intake include:

Locating the cows water near the feeding area. Placing a small water tank in a
corner of the holding pen has increased milk production 2 to 4 pounds per cow.

Shading the water tank. Researchers from Texas A&M observed that when cows were
offered cool water versus warm water, cows drank more, consumed more feed, and milk yield
increased 4.8%.

Providing adequate watering space  at least one watering space or 2 feet of tank
perimeter for every 15 to 20 cows.

Shade

Properly constructed and maintained shades are effective in reducing heat stress. A
north-south orientation with 30-40 square feet per cow will provide adequate shade. Shades
should be a minimum of 10 feet high and no more than 30 feet wide to allow for drying
underneath.

A portable shade can be constructed using nylon mesh which blocks 70 to 90% of the
sunlight. The advantages of the mesh screens are that they allow for air movement and
drying underneath, and only cost approximately 25 to 30 cents per square foot.

Freestall Barn Management

A correctly designed and managed freestall barn can provide relief from heat. Design
criteria should include a roof slope of 4/12, eave height of 12 feet, and a ridge opening
relative to the width of the building. Freestall barns should be constructed with curtains
on the sides so that the barn can be opened to improve air movement.

Air Movement
Fans can greatly enhance evaporative cooling and cow comfort. Locate fans above the
freestall. Large fans should be 3 to 4 feet in diameter, providing 500 to 600 CFM (cubic
feet per minute) per cow. A rule of thumb for effective air movement for a fan is ten
times the diameter in feet, ie., a 3-foot fan will move air for approximately 30 feet.

Freestall Beds
Straw is hot  sand is cool. If bedding with sand, be sure to place at least 4 inches
in the stall and add sand every 2 to 4 weeks. Sand should not be used with some types of
waste handling systems. A sand or rubber filled mattress is another option. Sprinkle a
little bedding on the mattress to keep the surface clean.

Sprinklers
Sprinklers can help with evaporative cooling. It is important to thoroughly wet the hair
coat. This enhances the evaporative cooling of the cow. Sprinklers should be installed
above the cows over a hard surface area, ie., near feed bunks or feeding alley. Suggested
on:off time is approximately 15% on, 85% off, controlled with a timer. Sprinklers should
be located approximately 8 feet above the cow at 4 to 6 feet from the feeding area; water
pressure from 10 to 25 PSI with nozzles delivering 1½ to 4 gallons per minute.

Foot Management

Foot problems resulting from summer heat stress may be due to lack of effective fiber
in the diet, abrasive concrete surfaces and hairy heel warts. Under wet conditions, cows
are even more prone to foot troubles. Dairy producers may wish to use a 5% copper sulfate
foot bath (11 gallons water plus 5 pounds copper sulfate) once per week.

Do you need to update your method of disposing of dead animals to comply with Missouri
Dead Animal Law? The law requires that a dead animal carcass be properly disposed of
within twenty four hours.

In Missouri there are five acceptable methods of carcass disposal. The Missouri Dept of
Agriculture lists this order of preference: 1) rendering; 2) composting; 3) approved
landfill; 4) approved incineration; and 5) burial with restrictions.

Composting has proven to be a safe and convenient method for disposing of swine and
poultry carcasses. Some farmers have also successfully composted larger animals in a
sawdust composter. With this system, large animal carcasses need to be cut open or
quartered.

Sawdust is an excellent carbon source for the composting process. Another property of
sawdust is its insulation value. With good management it will maintain the proper
composting temperature of 130 to 160 F during the winter.

For more information, ask for guides WQ0216: Composting Poultry Carcasses in
Missouri and WQ0351: Composting Dead Swine at your University Extension Center.

AgrAbility
Program Continues to Help Farmers with Disabilities Get Back to the Land

Many people working or living on the farm have disabilities or limitations which affect
their productivity and quality of life. Thanks to the AgrAbility Project, farmers with
disabilities may not need to park their tractors permanently.

The Missouri AgrAbility Project (MAP) has recently been refunded to continue
coordinating an array of services for agricultural workers and their families with
disabilities that allow them to remain active on the farm or in an agricultural-related
occupation.

The AgrAbility Project was authorized through a provision of the 1990 Farm Bill, and
funded by Congress in 1991. AgrAbility was created to assist the more than 500,000 people
with disabilities employed in agriculture, according to the National Agricultural
Statistics Service, Washington, D.C. For the past six years, grants have been awarded to
selected Land Grant University Extension Services that have linked with nonprofit
disability organizations to provide outreach, education, training, information
dissemination, and technical assistance to agricultural workers and family members with
disabilities. The Missouri AgrAbility Project was first funded for a three year period in
1994.

The MAP provides needed education, assistance, and support to disabled farmers and
their families. Through the combined dedication and expertise of the University Extension
System and services provided by nonprofit disability organizations during the past three
years, the MAP has helped hundreds of Missouri farmers overcome barriers that confront
them as they seek to continue in their chosen professions in agriculture.

Funded for an additional four-years by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
under special project number 97-EDFA-1-0116, this unique program is a partnership between
The College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Departments of Occupational and
Physical Therapy, as well as the Extension county offices and Regional Specialists, and
the nonprofit disability organization, Services for Independent Living.

The objectives of the MAP are to: provide direct education and assistance to
individuals with disabilities who engage in farming and farm-related occupations; provide
specialized education programs to enhance the professional competencies of rural
agricultural, rehabilitation, health care, and vocational professionals; assess machinery,
agricultural work sites, operations, and living environments and suggesting modifications;
mobilize and coordinate rural volunteers, community-based service providers, peer
counseling, and support groups.

The project will target agricultural families affected by disabilities, extension
specialists, rehabilitation professionals, independent living specialists, service
providers, and others committed to assisting those families.

Any Missouri resident who is engaged in farming, ranching, or in an
agricultural-related occupation with a disease, disability, or disorder can participate
and receive services from the Missouri AgrAbility Project.

Additional information is available by calling the toll-free number set up through the
office of Agricultural Engineering Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia,
800-995-8503 or you can visit our web site at http://www.fse.missouri.edu/agrability/

Central Missouri has another University Extension/Commercial Ag demonstration and
research project. University Extension has leased 39 acres from Tommy and Garnet Tweedie,
strong supporters of University Extension. The Tweedie Commercial ag
Demonstration/Research Farm is located three miles south of Carrollton, on the east side
of highway 65. The demonstrations and information generated from research from this farm
will be of particular interest to farmers operating in the Missouri River bottoms.

As economies and communication become more global, metric measurements and weights are
appearing with increasing frequency in educational, scientific, and governmental
literature. The following is a collection of metric to imperial conversion equivalents
which you will find helpful.